The Coalminers of Durham book is full of memories

Jun 28 2009 by Coreena Ford, Sunday Sun

TIME was when blackened faces of miners walking home caked in coal dust was an everyday sight.

The shrill echo of the pit hooter and the light tapping on windows of the “caller” waking workers for their shifts were also familiar sounds across County Durham when coal was king.

And the bygone era when black gold was the bedrock of the communities comes vividly to life in a new book – The Coalminers of Durham – which brings together a whole host of stories, photos, facts and recollections.

Pulled together by miner’s son Norman Emery, an archaeological researcher at Durham University, the book will rekindle many more memories for anyone with connections to coal mining communities.

Coalmining in Durham was recorded as early as the 12th Century and medieval collieries flourished along the Wear Valley, but it was a vast increase in coal production following the Industrial Revolution which saw the county become one of the UK’s major sources of fuel.

Published by the History Press, the book includes many photos which capture the industry’s heyday – around 1913 – when the region boasted 304 pits employing 165,246 people.

It’s an era which evokes nostalgia in many, yet author Norman is quick to remind us how the so-called “black diamonds” were dug out by hard work, often at a high price.

He recalls the hardships and dangers of the miner’s life in pictures of the great pit disasters, as well as through the words of the survivors and rescuers.

Norman, of Esh Winning, County Durham, said: “The ‘black diamonds’ were won by the hard labour of thousands of men and boys working in dimly lit stalls and roadways deep below the ground.

“It was a heavy, physical task in dusty, often wet places where there was the constant threat of roof collapse or explosion.

“In the period between 1869 and 1953 there were 52 explosions in the county with the loss of 850 lives.

“In every village too there were men whose lungs were filled with dust, continually gasping for air.”

Norman focuses on the anonymous miners and villagers which epitomised life in a pit village, and hopes the book will act as a historical document for anyone interested in the coal mining era.

V The Coalminers of Durham, priced £14.99, is on sale now. Visit www.thehistorypress.co.uk for more information.